Curds and whey | Define Curds and whey at Dictionary.com curds and whey cottage cheese Examples You've probably eaten curds and whey without knowing it, because curds and whey are the lumps and the liquid of cottage cheese. Usage Note How to Make Curds and Whey: 4 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow How to Make Curds and Whey This is a really easy thing to try at home, and needs no special ingredients or equipment. Read on to learn how to make curds and whey. Ingredients 2 cups of milk 4 teaspoons vinegar You can also use 4 teaspoons of lemon juice, or as a nice alternative, orange juice, which will make a slightly sweeter curd for use in home made cheesecakes. If the curds don't seem to be forming, add an extra teaspoon or two of your chosen citrus juice. Steps 1 Place two cups of milk in the saucepan. Slowly bring the milk to the boil, while stirring constantly. It is very important to constantly stir the milk or it will burn. 2 Turn off the heat once the milk is boiling. Leave the saucepan on the heat source to cool slowly.

3 Add 4 teaspoons of vinegar or citrus fruit juice to the boiling milk. At this point, the milk should cuddle and turn into curds and whey. Scoop out the curds and store separately. Use as required. 4 Do I have to wait until the milk is cold before adding the lemon juice? wikiHow Contributor Cheese Making Terms and Definitions-Leeners Sat 12/31 10-2 Closed Sun 1/1 Mon 1/2 Open Tue 1/3 at 10am Glossary to cheese making. Acid: A descriptive term for cheese with a pleasant tang and sour flavor due to a concentration of acid. By contrast, a cheese with sharp or biting sour taste indicates an excessive concentration of acid which is a defect. Aged: Generally a cheese that has been cured longer than six months. Aged cheeses are characterized as having more pronounced and fuller, sometimes sharper flavors than medium-aged or current-aged cheeses. American: A descriptive term used to identify the group of American-type cheeses which includes Cheddar, Colby, granular or stirred-curd and washed or soaked-curd cheeses. Monterey Jack is also included in this group.

Annatto: A natural vegetable dye used to give many cheese varieties, especially the Cheddars a yellow-orange hue. Annatto is tasteless and is not a preservative. Bitter: An unpleasant, biting flavor usually an aftertaste. A bitter aftertaste is sometimes associated with variations in manufacturing and curing or aging procedures. It is more prevalent in cured cheeses having higher moisture contents. Bitterness is often confused with astringency. True bitterness is a sensation that is typified by the aftertaste of a grapefruit peel. Body: The physical attributes of cheese when touched, handled, cut or eaten. The body may feel rubbery, firm, elastic, soft, resilient, yielding, supple, oily, etc. When rolled between the fingers or cut, it may appear waxy or crumbly. Its "mouth feel" may be grainy or creamy. A cheese also may be felt to determine its condition of ripeness. Brining: A step in the manufacture of some cheese varieties where the whole cheese is floated briefly in a brine solution. Brining is common in the production of Mozzarella, Provolone, Swiss, Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Casein: The principal protein in milk.

During the cheesemaking process, casein solidifies, curdles or coagulates into cheese through the action of rennet. Cheddaring: The process used in making cheddar whereby piles of small curds that have been separated from the whey are knit together and cut into slabs. The slabs are then repeatedly turned over and stacked to help drain additional whey and aid in the development of proper acidity (pH) and body of the cheese. The slabs are then cut or milled into curds and placed in the cheese mold and pressed. Chevres: The plural form of the French word for goat which was originally used to classify all cheese varieties made from French goat's milk, but now commonly refers to all goat cheeses. Creams Single, Double or Triple: A classification of cheese derived from a butterfat content on a dry matter basis. Single Creams contain at least 50% butterfat in the cheese solids (dry matter), Double Creams contain at least 60% butterfat and Triple Creams contain at least 70% butterfat. Dry Matter: All the components of cheese (solids) excluding moisture (water). Dry matter includes proteins, milk fat, milk sugars and minerals.

Fat Content: The amount of butterfat/fat in any cheese. Fat content is determined by analyzing the fat in the dry matter of the cheese. The fat is expressed as a percentage of the entire dry matter. Lipase: An enzyme found in raw milk and also produced by microorganisms that split the fat molecules into fatty acids which create flavor. Milk fat: The fat content of cheese expressed as a percentage of the total solids of the cheese. Most cheeses are in the range of 45-55 percent milk fat in the dry matter because the dry matter stays constant in a unit of cheese while moisture content in the cheese may vary. Pasteurized: A term describing milk that has been heat treated to destroy bacteria. Most factory-produced cheeses are made from pasteurized milk to ensure greater control over quality and more uniform consistency. Processed cheeses also may be pasteurized to check further ripening. Rennet: An extract from the membranes of calves' stomachs which contains rennin, an enzyme that aids in coagulating milk or separating curds from whey. Rennet-like enzymes, also used commercially, are produced by selected fungi and bacteria.

Starter: A culture that normally consists of varying percentages of lactic acid bacteria or mold spores, enzymes or other microorganisms and natural chemicals which is used to speed and control the process of curdling milk during cheesemaking. Titratable Acidity: Measure of total acidity in milk and cheese. Total acidity is a combination of "apparent acidity", which is derived from the alkali binding properties of casein, phosphates, citrates and CO2 and developed acidity which results from the fermentation of milk by lactic acid bacteria. Turophile: A lover of cheese. Taken from the Greek word turos (cheese) and the root phil (love). Weeping: A descriptive term referring to Swiss-type cheese whose eyes glisten with bits of moisture. This is caused by the release of moisture by proteins as they are broken down during ripening. Weeping often indicates that a cheese has achieved peak ripeness and will exhibit full flavor. ©1997 Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc. The science of cheese | Biotech Learning Hub The science of cheese The science of cheese The science of cheese Cheesemaking is the controlled process of removing water from milk.

This process concentrates the milk’s protein, fat and other nutrients and increases its shelf life. Cheesemaking is one of the earliest examples of biotechnology. An ancient biotechnology Cheesemaking is an ancient biotechnology that dates back to the domestication of animals. It is thought that it was probably first discovered by observing the accidental souring of milk and then pressing and salting the solid curd to preserve it for later consumption. Get information sheet: Ancient biotechnology Cheesemaking principles Curds and whey Cheesemaking involves coagulating the casein protein in milk and then separating the milk into solid curds and liquid whey. The liquid whey is drained away, and the curds are salted, shaped and left to ripen in a controlled environment. Microorganisms are used in each step of this process and determine the flavour and texture of the final cheese. Bacteria acidify milk Acidifying (souring) milk helps to separate the curds and whey and control the growth of undesirable bacteria in cheese. Usually special ‘starter’ bacteria are added to milk to start the cheesemaking process. These bacteria convert the lactose (milk sugar) to lactic acid and lower the milk’s pH .

There are two types of bacteria used for this process: Mesophilic bacteria thrive at room temperature but die at higher temperatures. They are used to make mellow cheeses, such as Cheddar, Gouda and Colby. Thermophilic bacteria thrive at higher temperatures, around 55 °C, and are used to make sharper cheeses such as Gruyère, Parmesan and Romano. Enzymes speed up coagulation Some cheeses are curdled only by acidity. For example, paneer cheese is made using lemon juice to curdle the milk and cottage cheese is made using mesophilic bacteria. However, for most cheeses, rennet is also added to the milk after a starter bacteria. Rennet is a mixture containing the active enzyme chymosin. Rennet speeds up the coagulation of casein and produces a stronger curd. It also allows curdling at a lower acidity, which is important for some types of cheese. Casein proteins coagulate Animation: Cheese: a molecular view Milk is about 86% water but also contains fat, carbohydrate (mainly lactose), proteins (casein and whey), minerals and vitamins.

Milk is an emulsion of fat globules and a suspension of casein micelles . These are suspended in the liquid phase of milk that contains dissolved lactose, whey proteins and some minerals. The chymosin in rennet breaks down the kappa casein on the surface of the micelles changing them from being hydrophilic to hydrophobic . This causes them to aggregate together, trapping fat and water molecules in the developing curd. Further processing of the curd helps remove more water and compress the curd to form a solid cheese. Sources of rennet Casein micelles Rennet comes from the stomachs of young mammals that have a diet of mostly milk. Rennet from calf stomachs was the major source of chymosin until the 1960s when it was predicted that increasing demand for meat and increasing cheese production would lead to a shortage of calves and therefore a shortage of rennet. This led to the development of substitutes including extracts from adult cows and pigs, fungi and, more recently, microorganisms that have been genetically modified (GM) to yield GM rennet. GM rennet is the most commonly used today because it is the most cost-effective to produce.

Releasing the whey After separating curds and whey, further processing of the curds helps release more of the whey trapped in the network of micelles before it is drained away. The exact processing steps vary depending on the type of cheese. However, generally, the curds are captured, pressed and moulded to form blocks of cheese. Historically, whey was considered a waste product of cheesemaking. However, growing concern over the environmental impact of its disposal encouraged research to better understand the properties and potential uses of whey. Increasing scientific understanding and technological advances have led to a wide range of uses for whey and established it as a valuable coproduct of the cheese industry. Get information sheet: Uses of whey Ripening the cheese Ripening Gouda cheese Cheese is left to ripen, or age, in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment for varying lengths of time depending on the cheese type. As cheese ripens, bacteria break down the proteins, altering the flavour and texture of the final cheese. The proteins first break into medium-sized pieces ( peptides ) and then into smaller pieces ( amino acids ). In turn, these can be broken down into various, highly flavoured molecules called amines.

At each stage, more complex flavours are produced. During ripening, some cheeses are inoculated with a fungus such as Penicillium. Inoculation can be either on the surface (for example, with Camembert and Brie) or internally (for example, with blue vein cheeses). During ripening, the fungi produce digestive enzymes, which break down large protein molecules in the cheese. This makes the cheese softer, runny and even blue. Get information sheet: Creating different cheese characteristics Transgenic cow research reveals potential to increase cheese yield AgResearch’s transgenic cow research has produced transgenic cows with extra bovine kappa casein genes inserted in their genome . This resulted in increased kappa casein in their milk. Increased kappa casein levels are associated with better cheesemaking properties, higher cheese yield and higher calcium content. Miss Muffet And Her Curds And Whey | A Moment of Science - Indiana Public Media Indiana Public Media Choose which station to support! Indiana Public Media | WFIU - NPR | WTIU - PBS Choose which station to support!

A Moment of Science Miss Muffet And Her Curds And Whey By A Moment of Science Staff Posted September 27, 2003 Photo: henrylumbard (Flickr) The proteins found in milk can be separated into two basic groups by adding rennin. “Little Miss Muffet, sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey. Alon…” You may remember this beloved nursery rhyme, but have you ever wondered, ‘what are curds and whey?” Cottage Cheese Actually, you’ve probably eaten curds and whey without knowing it. Curds and whey are actually the lumps and liquid found in cottage cheese. If you didn’t know, cottage cheese is made from skim milk . But how exactly does skim milk become curds and whey? The Complexities Of Milk In spite of its simple appearance, skim milk is chemically quite complex. There are dozens of different proteins floating around in that white fluid. Fortunately, for cottage cheese makers, all the proteins in milk can be separated into two basic groups by simply adding a chemical called rennin. Rennin is an enzyme from a calf’s stomach, and it makes some of the proteins in milk clump together.

These clumping proteins are called “curd proteins,” while the milk proteins that refuse to clump are called “whey proteins.” These proteins are the curds and whey of Miss Muffet’s lunch. Voilà Unfortunately, whey doesn’t actually taste very good–so modern cottage cheese makers tend to press or wash their product, leaving a cottage cheese that is mostly curds. But that’s how you get curds and whey. They are two kinds of milk proteins, which separate when you add rennin to them. Share Ew. 44010577 Out of the many protein sources out there, hemp protein is the ultimate. It comes from nutrition. Go to for great information. truthrevy The Solution to the Little Miss Muffet Rhyme It just so happens that as in so many so called nursery rhymes, there is a bit of mischief. Many times they stem from some ridiculous position of ridicule. In this situation, of which came from so long ago that very few know where, the alias Little Miss Muffet was a very sexy little girl who was often found playing with her little “muff” while sitting on her “tough” little bottom.

While she has been found massaging herself, she has also been found with her fingers in her mouth, going back and forth between the two areas with both hands. Quite a sight, to be sure. Then along come spectators, who often stayed at a distance, spying on her. No one could ever come too close or else she would cease her little spectacle. Then she would often run away to hide, crying as she went. This little girl loved the great outdoors, and enjoyed her nudity within the fresh air and sunlight. Everyone knew this and made fun of her for it. She did not like this of people so she had few if any friends. It wasn’t long before little digging rhymes began to surface, of which were geared to indicate that no-one should ever attempt to befriend such a strange little woman. The saddest part was about the bit about a spider going up to sit down beside her. That was about me. I was the one who attempted to befriend her, also with the mind to maybe do more than just be friends. I can tell you this because I was there. It was the years 1607 when we all were making fun of that cute little, dirty little girl.

And her little bottom was VERY dirty, indeed! I have also regretted repeating such a misfit of slander due to the fact that I also became very much infatuated with her, and cried many nights over my love for her. You see, I was the spider… Just one of the many people who spied on her while she performed her little acts of indulgence. I wish I had never done such a thing. I grew very old and so did she I thought at the time. Alas, she died of a ripe old age of only 27…. That is, I think she was 27, but she was a little younger. All I know is that her putting her fingers in her mouth after finding them dripping with her womanly juices, may not have been the healthiest thing for her. Hence, this committed the bit about the “curds and whey” within the rhyme. She died so young. Why, I myself still remain only God knows. Maybe someday I will see her again. She will forever be my little miss Muffet.

truthrevy The Solution to the Little Miss Muffet Rhyme Sen McCartney So you’re a 405 year-old spider that surfs the web and makes perverted rhymes from the acts of children? Dude, umh, your meds wore off…… Another Fad How to Make Curds and Whey How to Make Curds and Whey 07/24/2012 By Sharon Glasgow Pour fresh raw milk into a clean jar. Put top on loosely. Let sit for 3-4 days in72-78 degree room. When The curds and whey separate it is time to process. This jar is ready to process. Raw milk has all 8 of the essential amino acids our body requires. It also has two players in antibiotic protein/enzyme arsenals, lysozyme and lactoperoxidase. These two work together to get rid of undesirable bacteria and unwanted microbes. When milk is heated(pasteurized) many of the super abilities of the milk are lost. You must read, The Health Benefits of Raw Milk Raw milk is life to the body.

Now let’s take raw milk and supercharge it more; Leave unpasteurized(raw) or partially pasteurized milk out on the counter for several days in warm temperatures(72-78 degrees) and you get–curds and whey the super food hero’s. Whey is the golden clear liquid known throughout the centuries as “healing water.” Whey from fully fermented milk no longer contains lactose, and is full of probiotic organisms (good bacteria) that helps repair intestinal walls and a host of other healing properties. A blog post is too short to expound on the priceless commodities of whey. Whey also contains enzymes, minerals and vitamins to restore life and energy. I put a couple of tablespoons of whey in fruits and vegetables in the fermentation process like sauerkraut, preserved lemons, grape leaves, carrots, beets. . .the list goes on. I have the recipes for preserved lemons and sauerkraut under recipes. I also use a whey mixture in soaking grains, beans etc. If we’ve been exposed to sickness we take a couple of tablespoons at each meal. If any intestinal issues arise, whey is always the remedy.

The Bible says in Isaiah 7:15 that Jesus would eat curds and honey so that he would know to refuse evil and choose good. If Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man needs to eat curds and honey, I need it more! Isaiah 7:22 is another great reference to curds and whey. If you watched my milking goat video I mentioned that in the 1300’s millions (estimated 100-200 million) of people died of the Bubonic Plague, the only people not dying were the Jews. The Jews didn’t get the Bubonic Plague because they were eating biblically correct, they were eating fermented foods, like curds and whey and raw honey. Whey last over 6 months in the refrigerator. Many of the fermented foods listed above will last more than 6 months when preserved in whey. It’s incredible the health benefits. The curds are chock full of nutrients just like the whey. They are the solid part and resemble a soft to firm cream cheese. They only last a month in the refrigerator. If they ever discolor, throw it out.

Depending on what the temperature was in your kitchen will depend on whether the curds are dry or soft. Sometimes when the whey and curds separate the curds are firm other times soft. If the curds are soft you can use it like cream cheese and put it on your toast or use in recipes where cream cheese would have been used. If the curds are firm, use like feta cheese. For the cream cheese consistency you can add chives and garlic and it taste like Boursin cheese! After the curds are poured into a strainer you can continue to strain until very dry and it crumbles just like feta. Delicious in salads, middle eastern dishes and omelets, etc. Once in a while the temperature in the kitchen doesn’t stay warm enough and the whey and curds don’t separate fully. You can use this as sour cream or buttermilk in baking. Whey is never milky looking, if yours didn’t separate perfectly it is almost always that it wasn’t consistently warm enough. If it is just buttermilk looking use it in baking recipes. I use it in our pancake batter, cakes and all my baked goods.

When your house is too cool you could use a heating blanket under the jar to keep it warm. If your house is too hot and you don’t have air conditioning you’ll have to wait for spring and fall to make it. I try to make enough in the spring and fall to last a long time. (If you don’t have access to raw/unpasteurized milk you can make whey from store bought organic plain whole milk yogurt. It is not as beneficial for your health but you can use it in making fermented vegetables, etc. Strain yogurt through cheesecloth. The liquid part is the whey. The solid left is more dry now than yogurt, use as cream cheese) Put cheese cloth or thin cotton material over another clean jar. Start to pour the mixture carefully over the clothe. The whey (the liquid part came out first this time out) Now I’m scooping curds out of jar. Straining the curds for a day. Curds stay in the strainer over a bowl to catch any drippings of leftover whey. I cover the top of the strainer and leave in refrigerator. When finished draining, the curds are firm, I break it up and I use as crumbled cheese in dishes.

Looks like feta, taste milder than feta in the store. The curds in the strainer are firm. Sometimes you’ll have one big clop of firm curds and the rest whey. That’s the easiest batches you make. Sometimes you’ll have firm curds mixed in to softer curds, the curds in the yellow cup are are soft, the consistency of thick sour cream, the jar in the background is the whey. This is a perfect jar of whey. After it settles for a couple hours it will be a little less cloudy, a little clearer. After you’ve separated the curds out of the whey a perfect jar of whey won’t have curds floating in it. If it has curds left in, it will shorten the life of the whey. If you are using whey to make fermented vegetables or fruit only use the purest whey–meaning no curds in it. Here is another set of curds and whey being made. I have a thermometer in the room to keep me informed of the temperature. This set actually didn’t turn out right. I was disappointed whey I saw the middle jar getting yellow coloration on top of curds.

Sometimes that happens–either the temp gets too hot or too cold. The temperature was a constant 72-78 degrees the first 2 days, then the temperature changed drastically and ruined my curds and whey. Yellow color is on top, I don’t like that when using goat milk. Using cow milk you may have yellow on top from the heavy cream separation. Goat milk rarely gets yellow on top. I throw it away if it has yellow, pink, green or any weird color on or in it. 99% of the time you won’t see an unusual color. Perfect curds are always a white color. This batch also didn’t separate, and it had a different smell than usual, it just didn’t do anything right. If you have questions, leave a comment. I’ll answer anything I can. I’ve made hundreds of batches of curds and whey, but in the beginning I had a lot questions but no one to answer them! I would love to help you get healthy. Make sure all your jars, spoons etc are clean. How to Make Fresh Mozzarella From Scratch | Serious Eats How to Make Fresh Mozzarella From Scratch Freshly made mozzarella is milky and tender.

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik] Get the Recipe Fresh Mozzarella From Scratch Recipe At Serious Eats, we're lucky enough to work right across the street from Di Palo Selects , an Italian fine foods store that just happens to make some of the best fresh mozzarella I've ever tasted. It's milky, tender, and mild, with a faint layer of cream beneath the skin that gushes a little when you slice it. In other words, this isn't that stiff, tough ball of vacuum-sealed supermarket mozzarella, and it's definitely not the low-moisture cooking mozzarella that you throw on pizzas or lasagnas; it's mozzarella for savoring on its own, perhaps with a sprinkle of sea salt, or torn up for a simple Caprese salad . This mozzarella? You buy it when it's still warm and it never goes into the fridge . But what about those of us who don't have the benefit of living or working close to a great fresh mozzarella source? Is there a way that everyone out there can get their hands on the good stuff?

A quick Google search for homemade mozzarella will give you an emphatic yes: there are countless recipes for fresh mozzarella and dozens of different DIY kits for sale, all of which promise better than store-bought results. Unfortunately, it also doesn't take much testing to realize that there's a whole lot more to making excellent fresh mozzarella than the right equipment and a reliable recipe. While experience doesn't hurt, it all really boils down to the milk. Milk 101 Before we dig into the nitty gritty, it's important to understand that milk contains two types of proteins—casein and whey. Turning milk into cheese starts by causing the caseins to coagulate into milky curds, leaving behind a cloudy, watery byproduct also known as whey. There are two ways to effect these changes: with rennet (an enzyme found in the stomach of unweaned grazing animals like calves and lambs) or with acids (like lemon juice or vinegar), both of which do their thing in combination with heat. In the case of mozzarella, we'll be using rennet and citric acid.

But in order for the rennet and acid to actually work, the milk proteins themselves also have to be in the right condition. That's why virtually every recipe for mozzarella will insist that the best cheese comes from the freshest, least processed milk. Longer-term storage at low temperatures, high-temperature pasteurization, and homogenization can all alter the protein structures, ultimately wreaking havoc on your ability to make great cheese. So what does that mean for those of us without a herd of dairy cows in the backyard? For starters, go non-homogenized. Most farmers market milks are non-homogenized, but my supermarket usually carries a few cartons, as well. These milks are filled with nice, big dairy-fat globules that rise up to the top for a recognizable cream line at the the neck of the bottle. Homogenized milk, on the other hand, has been processed by a high-pressure pump that breaks those blobby fats into smaller bits, increasing their surface area by up to ten times. When this happens, "the milk proteins migrate and stabilize around those new fat globules," explains Dr. Lloyd Metzger , of South Dakota State University's Dairy Science department.

The distribution of fat and protein changes so drastically in this process that homogenized milks are virtually impossible to make into viable mozzarella. If you absolutely cannot find non-homogenized milk, Metzger recommends purchasing a gallon of skim milk and adding a carton of cream to it, rather than using homogenized whole milk. The only obstacle? That skim milk also has to meet our other major standard for cheese-making: lower-temperature pasteurization. "The minimum legally required temperature for pasteurization [145°F], basically has no effect on the protein," explains Metzger. "But when you get to the 170, 175°F point, the casein and the whey proteins actually start to interact with each other." Those whey proteins, he elaborates, "are similar to the proteins in eggs—when they get too hot, they start to aggregate, and they take the casein proteins with them. What you're left with are proteins that won't coagulate into the kind of curds needed to stretch mozzarella cheese." This is a tricky but crucial point.

Ultra-pasteurized milk is heated to a whopping 280°F, which leaves a lot of wiggle room between that 145°F baseline. Since pasteurized milk rarely comes with a precise temperature printed on the carton, I highly recommend calling the dairy or manufacturer to find out the precise temperature at which their milk is pasteurized—simply avoiding ultra-pasteurized milk isn't a reliable workaround. If you live somewhere with access to farm-fresh raw milk, and feel comfortable with the pros and cons of consuming it in cheese , then you're all set. That said, many (including Metzger) caution against consuming raw milk, not to mention that it's illegal or exceedingly hard to find in some states. Luckily, you can often find excellent lower-temperature pasteurized, non-homogenized alternatives at farmers markets and local dairies, and even some supermarkets (especially at stores like Whole Foods) sell it—I've had great success with Organic Valley's Grassmilk , which is whole, non-homogenized, and pasteurized at just 165°F. Once you have the right milk, though, the process is surprisingly easy and fun.

In fact, it's almost as satisfying as throwing Mentos in a bottle of soda and watching it explode. No, there won't be geysers of milk spouting in your kitchen, but fresh cheeses happen really quickly, which means you'll go from a pot of milk to curds and whey in a matter of minutes, and from curds and whey to a ball of mozzarella in just a handful more. I'm talking under an hour, start to finish, especially once you get the hang of things. Here's a quick overview of how it's gonna go. Coagulate the milk into curds: We'll begin by adding citric acid to the milk, gradually heat it, and then add rennet to complete the coagulation process, at which point we'll be left with curds (destined to become our cheese) and whey (the watery byproduct that's left behind). Drain and slice the curds: Once the curds have separated from the whey, we'll drain them of extra liquid and slice them.

Spin the curds: A relatively brief process of manipulating the curds under high heat, either in the microwave or in heated whey, "spinning" them until they're shiny, smooth, and ready to be formed into balls. Resting the cheese: We'll let the cheese relax in room temperature whey for roughly 20 minutes before we dig in. What You'll Need Unless you're the kind of person who keeps a pantry stocked with specialized cheese-making equipment, you're going to have to do a little shopping before you can get started. For starters, do a quick inventory and make sure you have a full set of measuring spoons and a liquid measuring cup—we'll be adding very precise amounts of those coagulants. One of the most crucial items you should have is an accurate instant-read thermometer, like the Thermapen , to ensure that you keep the milk within its ideal temperature range throughout the entire process. You'll also need a fine-mesh strainer, a heat-resistant bowl (pyrex or stainless steel are both fine), a slotted spoon, and a large, thick-bottomed stainless steel pot. As for the actual ingredients?

I'm happy to report that your milk will probably be the most expensive item you have to purchase. Food-grade citric acid is available in most well-stocked supermarkets, often near canning-related items, but if you can't find it, just order it online instead; my one-pound supply cost about $10 and it'll last me a long, long time (each batch of mozzarella only calls for a couple of teaspoons). Buy Finally, you'll need pair or two of gloves. We'll be sticking our hands into some very hot water during the spinning stage and, while some professionals may go in bareback, I'm not nearly so bold. I typically wear a couple pairs of latex gloves layered on top of each other, but one (or even two) pairs of heavy-duty dish gloves will also do the trick, especially if your hands are sensitive to heat. Just make sure the gloves are clean, fit your hands snugly, and don't have any holes in them (I learned that one the hard way). Step 1. Curds and Whey This stage all happens in your stainless steel pot. There's no need to throw on your gloves just yet, but you do want your slotted spoon and your thermometer handy.

We'll start by pouring the milk into the pot, whisking it well to distribute the cream and butterfat, and then adding the citric acid. Many recipes call for diluting the citric acid in water before adding it to the milk, but I haven't been able to find a compelling reason to dirty the measuring cup or dilute the milk—sprinkling the citric acid in and giving the milk a good stir works every time. Just make sure to stir for at least 15 to 30 seconds to ensure that the acid fully dissolves and isn't just sitting on the bottom of the pot. Then, turn the heat on to medium-low and continue to stir the pot regularly—we definitely don't want the bottom to scald. As the temperature rises, you'll start to see tiny little clumps of curd starting to form, perhaps as early as 70 or 75°F. Meanwhile, dilute the rennet in water; unlike citric acid, rennet is so powerful and fast-acting that dilution is the best way to ensure it mixes into the milk evenly before coagulation freezes everything in place.

When the milk reaches 88 to 90°F, add the rennet and stir well until it's evenly combined with the milk, about 30 more seconds. The traditional curd-cutting step. Now, here's where things get interesting. Most recipes suggest that you turn the heat off once the curds hit that 88 to 90°F mark, cover the pot, and allow the curds to solidify for anywhere from five minutes up to several hours. In this more traditional method, you'd check to make sure the curds can form a clean break by seeing if they pull away from the whey (you can see an example in the top left image above). Then, you'd slice your curds into a one-inch grid and continue heating the pot until the whey reaches 105°F before straining the curds. This slicing step is a fundamental one in most cheese-making situations: the size at which the curd is cut and the amount it is heated determines how much whey it expels, which has a profound impact on the final cheese. But ever impatient, I decided to try breaking the rules and compare the traditional method to something a little more straightforward.

Rather than turn off the heat (and add a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes to the recipe), I simply continued to heat the milk over low heat after adding the rennet, stirring very occasionally, until the whey hit that 105°F mark. That infrequent stirring actually breaks the curd up slightly, not unlike the traditional cutting step. For both batches, I used a slotted spoon to scoop the curds out of the pot and into a mesh strainer set over a bowl (more on that in a moment), and made them into mozzarella. When they were ready, I asked my colleagues to blind taste the two mozzarellas side-by-side, one made using the more classic curd-cutting method and the other from my shortcut approach. Not only were the results virtually indistinguishable from each other, but the final yield of cheese was the same. Less effort, less time, and identical results? It's basically a no-brainer to take the easier route.

Step 2: Drain and Portion the Curds Once your whey has reached 105°F, turn off the stove and let the pot stand for five to 10 minutes—we want to give the curds and whey the opportunity to settle and separate from each other. Then, use the slotted spoon to carefully ladle the curds into the strainer, pressing down gently to drain off extra whey between spoonfuls. You can tip the strainer from side to side, as in the image above, to help drain extra liquid off the top, since the curds should naturally form a large, semi-solid mass. If you feel like there are a lot of small pieces still floating in the whey, you can send it through a separate strainer, but don't pour it down the drain! We'll need it again in a minute. Once you've let the curds drain and cool for roughly 10 minutes, you can place the mass on a cutting board and slice them into one-inch cubes, like so: If your curds have more of a crumbly ricotta-like texture and resist forming a single mass, you're looking at a milk issue.

Time to get on the phone with your dairy and find out what the pasteurization story is. Step 3: Spinning Assuming you're looking at shiny cubes of curd, you're halfway there! Now's when I like to add some salt to the mix. Great mozzarella shouldn't be noticeably salty, but I do like to offset the intense milky sweetness just a bit. Go ahead and season the whey that's still in your pot with one tablespoon of kosher salt (you can add more to taste if you want, or feel free to skip the salt altogether), stir it well, and then pour one third of the whey into a bowl and set it aside. We'll be using this bowl of room-temperature whey for resting our mozzarella down the line. From here on out, there are two ways to proceed. The first method involves the microwave, which, I'm pleasantly surprised to admit, totally does work and yields almost-as-delicious results. If you decide to use the microwave, you can put about a third of your curds into a microwave-safe dish, microwave it on high for 15 seconds, and just skip the instructions in the next paragraph.

The second method is the one I'm more partial to, since I find that it lends a bit more control to the process and gives you slightly more tender mozzarella, all without a whole lot more work. For this approach, you can place the pot containing the remaining two-thirds of your whey over high heat and raise the temperature to around 180°F (though even hotter is fine). Meanwhile, place about one-third of the curds in a heat-safe bowl. When the whey's hot, throw on your gloves and use a ladle to add enough liquid to cover the curds. You can keep the pot on low heat; you'll need more hot whey in a bit. Whether you're using the microwave or the whey, after about 15 seconds, stick your heavily begloved finger into the dish. Can you handle the heat? If it's intolerable, grab a spoon to fish the curds out; otherwise, use your hand to gently draw them together and lift them out. They should be very soft and kind of sticky. If they're practically liquid-soft, leave them be for a minute or two.

Have a sip of beer, check your email, sneak some bites of the cold curd resting on your countertop. Then stick your hands back in and grab the curds. Do not knead the curds. There are many, many recipes that tell you to treat the curds "like bread dough." Only do this if you'd like to make cheese with the texture of squeaky chewing gum; otherwise, simply lift the mass out of the whey with both hands and slowly draw them apart. There shouldn't be a sensation of forcibly stretching, pulling, kneading, or tearing the curd; rather, the curd should literally stretch itself. If the curd resists, return it to the bowl and add some more hot whey (or stick the bowl back in the microwave), and try again. If the curd just continues to break and tear, you are probably looking at a milk issue. Here's what bad curd, made from pasteurized homogenized milk, looks like in action: Bad curd from start to finish. The curd above won't make an enjoyable mozzarella. Believe me, I've tried.

You can manipulate it into something that looks just like mozzarella, but it won't taste like it one bit. You can try to salvage it by blending it into a spread with some seasonings like salt, pepper, and herbs, or just pick at it. It's kind of a tasty snack...it's just not the tasty snack you meant to make. Assuming all is going well, simply fold the stretched curd back on itself after each pull, dipping the bundle back into hot whey as necessary to keep it pliable. You only want to "spin" the curds until they are shiny. When I'm working with high-quality milk, this can happen after just two, maybe four long stretches. If it's still looking dull after three or four stretches, try adding more hot whey from the stovetop—your issue may be temperature-related. Once the whole mass looks smooth and shiny, fold the stretched curd over itself until it's roughly the size of your palm. With your other hand, make a C-shape with your forefinger and thumb, and then push the curd through that space, exerting pressure with your fingers to shape it into a sphere.

Try to press hard enough to prevent any bubbles from forming under the skin (though a few small ones here and there are inevitable, especially when you're first starting out). Alternatively, you can make a full loop with your thumb and forefinger to make bocconcini—the small, egg-size mozzarella balls are little more manageable for beginners. In either case, when you have a ball you're happy with, pinch off any remaining curd. You just made mozzarella. Do a little dance and then resist the temptation to pop it right into your mouth. Step 4: Resting Gently lower the ball into the bowl of room-temperature whey that you set aside earlier, and continue spinning your remaining curd. If you've opted to use the whey for something else, or accidentally threw it away, you can use room-temperature water, salted to taste, as a resting liquid instead. Do not use ice water, though it's a common recommendation in mozzarella recipes. It will leave you with a rubbery ball devoid of all flavor.

Just take a look at the samples below: From left: mozzarella left to sit out after shaping; mozzarella rested in room-temp whey; mozzarella rested in room-temp water; and mozzarella rested in ice water. The cheese all the way to the left was placed directly on a cutting board, where it proceeded to flatten into a thin, unappealing (though no less delicious) disk. The middle two samples rested in room-temperature whey and water, respectively. And the sample all the way to the right? The one that looks significantly more round? That's the one that was plunged into ice water, which shocked it and left it as stiff and hard as a handball. Our favorite mozzarella balls were rested in salted whey for at least 15 minutes and no longer than 40 minutes. Too short a time and they were strangely soft yet chewy and almost rubber bandy. Too long, and they were mushy and slimy. 20 to 30 minutes is the sweet spot, and as soon as your timer goes off you should eat the mozzarella immediately, or at least within a few hours.

If you must store or refrigerate it, wrap it tightly in plastic first and use our handy reheating method for optimal results. And there you have it. Your very own ball of homemade mozzarella cheese. Now you just have to decide what to do with it. What's that? You already ate it all? Yeah, me too. Get the Recipe

Question: The terms curds and whey are associated with making what?
Answer: Cheese